KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 (IslamOnline.net) - Malaysia’s opposition Islamic Party (PAS) retained its stronghold state of Kelantan despite a strong showing by the ruling National Front (NF), confirmed the Election Commission.

The NF, which took the lion's share of the 219 parliamentary seats at stake in the 11th general elections by winning 196 seats, saw its lead in Kelantan dwindling to a photo finish defeat that allowed the PAS to retain the state after its trouncing in other states in Malaysia.

The PAS won 23 out of 45 seats in Kelantan, ensuring that it will form the state government with Nik Aziz Nik Mat, its spiritual leader, as the Chief Minister for another five years.

This victory, though nail biting, saves the face of the PAS, which was on a roller coaster to win more states and seats in the elections.

The NF's parliamentary victory, which gave it a more than two-thirds majority in parliament, assures it a calm process of governing for the next five years.

The second party to emerge after the NF in the election is the Democratic Action Party (DAP) which won 10 seats, with its leader Lim Kit Siang confirmed as the new opposition leader in Malaysia.

He succeeds PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang who lost his parliament seat in Marang, Terengganu, by 163 votes.

The PAS leader kept his state seat in the local assembly in the oil rich state that has reverted to the NF after 4 years under PAS rule.

The PAS emerges as the third party with 6 parliamentary seat while the Keadilaan Party or National Justice Party has one parliamentary seat after its leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail retained her seat, defeating NF candidate in a recount on Monday.

She was announced to have lost her seat by 36 votes but a recount was ordered upon here request.

Wan Azizah is the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, the jailed Malay leader who was once the heir apparent to former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar is now serving a 9-year sentence for sodomy which he vehemently denies, and his wife's winning may assure that his voice would remain heard in parliament for the next five years.

The latest figures released on Monday showed that some 4,224,957 voters supported the NF, giving the ruling coalition 64.4 per cent of the popular vote, an increase of 9 percent from 1999.

PAS, which won six parliamentary seats, garnered 1,037,835 votes or 16 per cent while the DAP, which did better by winning 10 seats, collected 629,127 votes or 9.5 per cent of the popular vote.

Keadilan, which won one seat this year compared to 5 seats in 1999, secured 523,005 votes or 8 per cent of the votes.

This gives the opposition a total of 34 percent of votes compared to 45 percent it the outgoing legislature.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was sworn in Monday as prime minister, said election results were clear evidence that Malaysians rejected Awang and extremism.

He declined to comment on the resurgence of the DAP which saw two of its top leaders - Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh - who lost in 1999, making a comeback.